Light environment and pigment composition of Megaceros pellucidus
Journal Title: Extreme Life, Biospeology & Astrobiology - International Journal of the Bioflux Society - Year 2011, Vol 3, Issue 1
Abstract
The hornwort Megaceros pellucidus occupies wet, heavily shaded sites. In four sites in the central North Island of New Zealand the maximum photon flux density (PFD) was always less than 10 µmol m[sup]-2[/sup]s[sup]-1[/sup]. The PFD varied weakly during the day depending exponentially on the PFD of full sunlight. Light reflected from surface water late in the day transiently doubled the mid-day maximum PFD.Sunflecks had little impact on the site PFD consistent with the exponential relationship between thePFDs measured at the site and canopy. Plants from low light conditions (0.2 µmol m[sup]-2[/sup]s[sup]-1[/sup]) had the same carotenoid content as plants from higher light conditions (6.9 µmol m[sup]-2[/sup]s[sup]-1[/sup]), but the chlorophyll content of high light plants was approximately twice that of low light plants. The chlorophyll a/b ratio was the same for plants from low and high light conditions. Spectra of acetone-extracts of M. pellucidus thallus from low light grown plants showed an absorbance band at about 340 nm that was not apparent in spectra of extracts from plants grown in high light conditions.
Authors and Affiliations
Roger Watkins, Heather Outred, R. Rowland, Simon Brown
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP140127
- DOI -
- Views 96
- Downloads 0
A short review on tardigrades – some lesser known taxa of polyextremophilic invertebrates
Tardigrades are polyextremophilic small organisms capable to survive in a variety of extreme conditions. By reversibly suspending their metabolism (cryptobiosis – tun state) tardigrades can dry or freeze and, thus, survi...
Microorganisms isolated from subsurface environments and their importance for astrobiology and theoretical biology.
Objective: the article is a review of the very controversial microbial life in subsurface environments like caves, rocks, mines, deep subsurface water and springs, in very special extreme environments. Material and Metho...
Microbiological research on the enzymologic potential of Arieş river (Romania) sediments
Ten sediment samples from Arieș river were collected and these samples have been analyzed qualitatively enzymologically. In the sediment samples, the following enzymatic activities have been qualitatively determined: fou...
Extremophiles and extremozymes: Importance in current biotechnology
The use of biocatalysts in different biochemical reactions is generally restricted to mild ambient conditions. However, the enzymes produced by different living organisms inhabiting ecosystems with extreme conditions of...
Plantago cornuti Gouan, a rare halophyte: sites from Transylvanian Depression (Romania)
This paper is a brief summary on the rare halophile species Plantago cornuti Gouan’s populations in the Transylvanian Depression (Romania). In this work were listed and characterized a number of sites across the Transyl...